1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wheelbarrows and more particularly to a removable cover for a wheelbarrow for preventing the damaging effects of the environment on the cargo carried in the wheelbarrow and for providing a working surface for use at a job site.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wheelbarrows have been in use for many years and are believed to have appeared in Europe about the eleventh or twelfth centuries. Since that time many improvements have been made to ease the workload on the user and some devices have been devised to perform work on the contents of the wheelbarrow. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,070,316 to Roth discloses such a device as having a motor mounted atop a safety shield that is carried on the open top of the load receptacle of the wheelbarrow and the shield partially covers the opening of the receptacle. A drive belt extends from the motor down through the safety shield into the wheelbarrow to drive a mixing mechanism carried on the underside of the safety shield for mixing a curable products such as mortar. The safety shield is slidably movable fore and aft on the open top of the load receptacle of the wheelbarrow to bring the mixing mechanism into mixing engagement with all areas of the mortar carried in the load receptacle.
While the safety shield of the above described Roth patent does cover a portion of the open top of the load receptacle of a wheelbarrow, it does not entirely close the open top. Therefore, environmental conditions such as low humidity, rain, and wind can cause damage to the contents of a wheelbarrow. When mortar or other curable products are being use at a job site in a dry climate, the products will begin to cure if left unattended such as during lunch and/or coffee breaks and it can become fully cured if left overnight. Similarly, some materials carried in wheelbarrows can be damaged by rain and wind can scatter other types of materials. Further, the structure described in the Roth patent cannot be left in place to minimize the effects of a dry climate on a curable product such as mortar in that the mixer could become trapped in the cured product.
To the best of our knowledge, no prior art structure has been disclosed or suggested which can be selectively used to close the top of the load receptacle of a wheelbarrow to protect the contents of the wheelbarrow from environmental damage, and in addition, the cover provides a work surface at the job site. Therefore, a need exists for a new and useful wheelbarrow cover for protecting the contents thereof from environmental damage and providing a working surface at the job site.